Lamp construction



pt. 13,1927. H FOSTER 35 LAMP CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 29, 1925 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR:

hiqppv C FOSTEQ, awk m v ww A20 ATTORNEYS.

pt. 13, 1927. G FOSTER 35 LAMP CONSTRUCTION Filegl Jan. 29, 1925 2Sheets-Sheet? INVENTOR:

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BY .xj mm-a fia m WSZAZ 1 ATTORNEYS.

- fication.

Patented Sept. 13, 1927.

EJNITE STATES -1,642,435 PATENT orr cs.

HARRY C. FOSTER, OF CONNERSVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-HALF TO INDIANA LAMP CORPORATION, OF CONNERSVILLE,INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE, AND ONE-HAIJF TO GENERAL MOTORSCORPORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

Lani? CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed January This invention relates to lamp constructionand is herein illustrated as embodied in automobile headlights.

One of the objects of this invention is s to provide simple andeflicient focusing mechanism for a lamp bulb, capable of being easilyassembled in its casing where.

. it is positioned by the reflector. Another object is to provide aflexible or floating focusing device for longitudinally adjusting a lampbulb without any tendency to move the bulb laterally of the. reflectoraxis or to distort the reflector.- Still another object is to provide animproved lamp door attachin means to avoid the usual, expensive hingeddoor and the disadvantages of rotary doorswhich become difficult toremove on account of corrosion and otherwise are a source of com laint.

To these en sand also to improve gen? erally upon devices of thecharacter indicated my invention consists in the various mattershereinafter described and claimed. In, the drawings, Figure 1 is a frontview of a headlight, partly broken away and in section.

Figure 2 is a vertical central section. Figure 3 is a detail of the lampsocket. Figure 4 is a vertical section on the line 0 44 of Figure 2.

Fi re 5 is a sectional view of details on the hue 5-5 in Figure 1. lFigure 6 is a horizontal section of the lamp socket. I Figure 7 is avertical section of a modification.

Figure 8 is vertical section of another modificationon line 8.8 ofFigure 9.

Figure 9 is a section'on line 9--9 of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a vertical section of a modi Fi re 11 is mo cation.

1 Figure 12 is a view partly in section of the central part of I Figure18 is a vertical section of a modification.

Figure 14 is a pc tive view of a detail.

. In the drawings, t e numeral 10 indicates a reflector carrym g arearwardl extending sleeve or guide 12 o a vertical section of anotherpartly in plan and the r a slidable ampsocket 29, 1925. Serial N0.5,530.

14. The socket 14has a bayonet slot 16 to receive the usual'pin carriedby a lamp bulb 18. The sleeve 12 is slit longitudinally at 20,preferably at the top, to embrace the sides of a downturned arm 22 onthe base of a U-shaped plate-24 the other arm 26 of the plate beingparallel to .arm 22 and threaded to receive an adjusting screw 28. Thescrew 28 passes loosely through the back wall'30 of a lamp casing 32 anda coil .spring 34 surrounds the screw between the casing and the arm 26.

The socket 14 has an oblong opening at the top formed by a slot 36 and.end extensions 38 adapted to allow entrance of a cross lug 40 formed atthe lower end of the arm 22. The slot registers with the cross ing 40only when the socket 14 is turned at'rifiht angles to, the positionshown and, after t e socket is turned to its normal position, the cross.lug holds the socket against rotation on, its axis and controls itslongitudinal position in the sleeve 12.

A coil spring '42 surrounds the arm 22 bearing against the base of theU-shaped plate 24 and against a concave plate 44 fitting the sleeve 12,The plate 44 is slotted similarly to socket 14 to allow passage of thecross lug 36. The plate 24 has short exv tensions 46, 'at the base ofthe arm 22, forming abutments for the spring 42.

The U-shaped plate 24 with its screw 28, spring 34, plate 44, and sprin42 is first attached to the rear wall 30 o the casing. ,Then, the socket14, without its lamp bulb 18, is turned atright angles tothe positionshown in Figure 2 and its slot 36 passed .up over the cross lug 40. Thenthe socket is turned back toits normal position where it will beflexibly or yieldinglyheld. It can be tilted, however, many directionrelatively to: the adjusting mechanism to receive the reflector. Thereflector 10 is next attached to the casing, its sleeve 12 sliding overthe socket 14 to center the'latter. During this operation, the concaveplate 44 is lift:

ed a little s6 that the slit at 20 can embrace and slide along the sidesof arm 22: Finally the lamp bulb 18 is inserted in the socket.

between the strands thereof to form contact points to engage the usualcontacts on the rear of the lamp bulb 18. A. coil spring 56 surroundseach wire and is interposed between the back of the socket and a disc 58which bears against and moves with the disc 52. The disc 58 has lugs 60entering slots 62 in the socket to hold the contact points in line withthe lamp contact points which are positioned by the usual pins en.-tering bayonet slots. This construction allows the contact carrier ordisc 52 to have a wobble i'notion, insuring electrical contact a! twopoints, and the two individual coil springs 56 leave room at the top ofthe socket for the cross lug 40 above mentioned.

The reflector 10 has a circular channel for the usual packing or cord64: against which the glass or lens 66 is held by a glass holding ordoor casing in the form of a ring 68. The ring has suitably spaced clips70 (Figure 1) with projections 72 entering positioning slots in the edgeofthe glass. The door casing has an outer peripheral flange 74 toenclose the end ot'the lamp casing 32 and it is held to the lamp easingunder spring pressure by the construction to be described.

At the top of the dooreasing, is secured a bracket plate 76 having twospaced inwardly extending lugs 78. At the rim of the lamp casing is aninwardly extending flange 80 abutting against an outwardly extendingflange 82 on the reflector. Fixed at the top of the lamp casing, insidethe flange 80, is a bracket plate 84 which extends forwardly through anotch in the casing flange 80 and through a cut away portion of thereflector flange 82. This extended portion of the plate Si is flat witha substantially rectangular opening at one end of which is a lug soentering one end of a coil spring 88. The other end of the spring bearsagainst the depressed central portion of a channel plate which has acentral slot for the passage of plate The channel plate is arched orbowed so that its ends are offset forwardly from the body and the lugs78 on the door casing straddle the plate 8 1 and engage behind theofiset ends of the channel plate.

The door casing is first attached at the top and then swung down andfastened at the bottom. The lugs 78 are first brought down in the spacebehind the offset ends of the channel plate. Then with the upper portionof the cord 61 as a fulcrum, the glass and doorcasing are swungdownward- 1y at the bottom, thereby compressing the spring 88 andkeeping a tension on the door casing to prevent rattle. The lower end ofthe door also has a spring fastening to be described. It should he notedthat the upper spring fastening is so constructed that the reflectorflange 82 will he yieldingiy held against the flange 80 of the lampcasing before the door casing is applied.

The lower fastening may be constructed as shown in Figures 2, 10 or 11depending on the type of lamp. In Figure 2, a two-armed anchor plate 92has the end of its longer arm resting in the angle formed by the flange80 and the lamp casing. The other arm slidably receives a bent rod 94which passes through the casing and has a washer 9G and cotter pin atthe end to form an abutment for a coil spring 98 surrounding the rod.The spring bears against the anchor plate and 'lurnishes the tensiondesired for holding the lower end of the door casing. The rod 1H: hashooks 100 to engage openings in the door *asiug and terminates in afinger piece 102 by which it may be manipulated. This constructionprovides a quick-detachable door which avoids the usual disadvantages ofa hinged door or of a door that is attached to the rim of the lampeasing by a rotary 1110\01110111'.

In Figure 7, the rim of the lamp casing has a slot 104 at the top for asubstantially U-shaped spring 106. this spring being engaged by a bead108 on'the rim of the door casing. The. forward arm of the spring isreceived in a slot 110 at the rim of the reflector.

1n Figures 8 and 9. the lamp casing 112 has an opening 11-1 at the rearside of which in a projection 116 slidably supporting a plate 118. Theplate is held from turning by the projection and is pressed rearwardlyby a coil spring 120 surrounding the projection 116 and a lug 122 onthelamp casing. Fixed to the door casing 124 is a bracket 126 having a pairof spaced'lugs or fingers 128 arranged to straddle the projection 116and engage behind the plate 118. The operation is similar to theconstruction first described.

In Figure 10. the lamp casing 180 has an extruded portion 132 aperturedtor the passage of a slidahlc rod 184-. The rod carries a washer 136 atone end held by a cotter pin and a concave washer 19,8 surrounds the rodand bears against the extruded portion 132. The washers form ahutn'ientstor a spring l i-U coiled about the rod. The lower end of the rod 131 isbent around the rim of the door casing 142 where it is provided with oneor more books 141: and a linger piece 146. In this figure. the glass14-8 is supported independently of the door casing on substantiallyU-shaped springs 150 held in registering slots cut in the flanges of thelamp casing and the reflector 152. Each spring also engages a slot inthe edge of the glass and its end is bent inwardly at 154C to hold theglass against the cord.

lin Figure 11., the lamp casing 156 has a slot 158 for the passage of aslidahle rod- 160. The casing. at the forward end of the slot. fitsbetween two fingers 162 and 16 formed by splitting the longer arm 166 ofan angled anchor plate. The shorter arn'r.

ries glass holding clips 182 which arepasscd through slits in thereflector and bent over its rim.

In F igurcs 13 and 14, there is illustrated a desirable construction forsecuring the top of the door casing. The forward edge of the lampcasing'184 slidably supports a substantially U-shaped plate comprisingfirstly, a base portion 186 passing through a slot 188 in the lampcasing, secondly, a short arm 190 resting outside the casing, andthirdly, a longer arm 192 which passes through an inwardlyextendingflange 19d on the lamp casing. The longer arm 192- also passesthrough an outwardly extending flange 196 011 the reflector and may betwisted or warped a little at its forward end to retain the flange. Theslidable plate is cut out at 198, to receive a coil spring 200 whichbears against the base portion 186 and against the inner side of theflange 194. The spring is held in the opening 198 by a lug 202 on theplate and normally tends to press the plate rearwardly. The plate mayhaveextensions 204 at each side of its base portion. A door casing orglass holding casing 206 surrounds the rim of the lamp casing andcarries a right angular plate one arm 208 of which is secured to thedoor casing and the other arm 21 of which extends inwardly through theslot .188 and engages behind the base portion 186 or its extensions 204.

Thus the door casing is yieldingly pressed rcarwardly to hold the glassagainst the reflector and to hold the reflector yieldingly against thelamp casing. The tension is produced, in a manner similar to that previously described, by drawing the lower end of the door casing down anddetachably securing it against the lamp casing.

Although the invention has been described by reference to certainspecific constructions, it should be understood that,'in its broaderaspects, it is not necessarily limited to the forms selected for mereillustrative purposes.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a wall member, a reflectingsurface, lam adjusting mechanism connected to the wal member andcomprising a headed member, a lamp socket having a slot to allow thepassage of the headed member in one position of the socket and'tointerlock with the headed member in another position of the socket, andmeans forislidably supporting the socket. v

2. In a device of the character described,

a reflector having a guide extending real;-

wardly therefrom, a lamp socket slidablc in the guide and having a slot,a lamp casing, adjustable mechanism connected to the casing-andcomprising an arm having a cross lug for detachable connection with theslot in the socket so that the lug is locked in the slot in one positionand removable from the slot in another position at an angle to the firstnamed position, and saidguide being slit longitudinally to allow thereflector to he slid over the socket after the adjusting mechanism hasbeen attached to the latter.

3. In a device of the character described, a reflector having a guideextending rear-- wardly therefrom, a lamp socket slidablc in the guideand having a slot, a lamp casing, adjusting mechanism connected to thecasing and comprisingan arm having a cross lug for detachable connectionwith the slot in the socket, and a spring pressed plate carried by thearmfor pressing the socket towards said lug.

4. In a device of the character described, a. lamp casing, a reflectingsurface within said lamp casing, a lamp socket having a slot, adjustingmechanism connected to the casing and comprising an arm having acrosslug for detachable connection with the slot in the lamp socket, aconcave plate on the arm and a spring for pressing said. plate towardsthe socket and the socket against the lug.

5. In a device of the character described, a lamp casing, a reflectingsurface within said lamp casing, a lamp socket, adjusting mechanismconnected to the casing, and means for detachably connecting theadjusting mechanism to the socket, said last connection yieldablyholding the socket in its normal position and releasing the socket whenthe latter is turned at an angle.

In testimony whereof I affix m si nature.

HARRY-o. osiER.

